ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Mines
Private sector must play key role in exploration of the deep seated minerals
The Union Government has allowed 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment  in the mining sector and exploration of metal and non-metal ores under the automatic route, which will propel growth of this sector. Addressing the 7th India Minerals and Metals Forum in New Delhi today Joint Secretary Ministry of Mines, Mr Anil Kumar Nayak said Power and cement industries are also aiding growth in the metals and mining sector. Demand for iron and steel is set to grow, given the strong growth expectations for the residential and commercial building industry.
He said exploration of the deep seated minerals needs to be focused. Lot of work needs to be done and private sector must play role in exploration too. He also said that there is large number of small players in the mining business. Now the time has come for the consolidation, either through consortium of miners.In our country there is lot of low grade minerals. For example, bauxite reserve in Orissa, however there is huge reserve of low grade bauxite in Maharshtra and Gujarat also, he said. He emphasized the importance for utilizing the low grade ore.
He said India is deficient in lithium and cobalt. These two minerals are required for electric vehicle which is one of the major missions of Government of India. The government has initiated a proposal where NALCO, Hindustan Copper and MECL will form a joint venture to acquire lithium and cobalt mines abroad.
This event was attended by Mr. Santosh Sharma, CMD, Hindustan Copper Ltd, Mr. Anjani K Agrawal, National Leader Mining and Metal Sector, Ernst &Young has prepared a Knowledge Document which highlights the overview of the Volatility in metal sector.
Ministry of Defence
Indian Air Force & Navy step up efforts to ferry oxygen and medical supplies
Indian Air Force  and Indian Navy  have intensified their efforts to aid the civil administration in tackling the current COVID19 situation by ferrying oxygen containers and medical equipment.As on May 07, 2021, the C-17 aircraft of IAFhave conducted 400 sorties from within the country, including 351 to airlift 252 oxygen tankers of total capacity of 4,904 Metric Tonnes . The cities covered were Jamnagar, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Panagarh, Indore, Ranchi, Agra, Jodhpur, Begumpet, Bhubaneswar, Pune, Surat, Raipur, Udaipur, Mumbai, Lucknow, Nagpur, Gwalior, Vijaywada, Baroda, Dimapur and Hindan.
The IAF aircraft also conducted 59 international sorties to airlift 72 cryogenic oxygen storage containers of 1,233 MT total capacity along with 1,252 empty oxygen cylinders. The containers and cylinders were procured from Singapore, Dubai, Bangkok, UK, Germany, Belgium and Australia. In addition, the C-17 and IL-76 aircraft have been tasked to airlift cryogenic oxygen containers, oxygen generators and ventilators from Israel and Singapore.
The Indian Navy deployed itsships INS Talwar, INS Kolkata, INS Airavat, INS Kochi, INS Tabar, INS Trikand, INS Jalashwa& INS Shardulto ferryoxygen containers/cylinders/concentrators and related equipment from friendly foreign countries. The details are as follows:-
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Ship Name
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Medical Supplies
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Country/Port
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Status
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INS Talwar
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27-MT oxygen containers – 02
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Bahrain
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Arrived at New Mangalore on May 05, 2021
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INS Kolkata
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Oxygen cylinders – 200
Oxygen concentrators - 43
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Oxygen cylinders - 200
27-MT oxygen containers – 02
Oxygen concentrators– 04
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Doha, Qatar
+
Kuwait
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Expected arrival at Mundra on May 09, 2021
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INS Kochi
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27-MT oxygen containers - 03
Oxygen concentrators - 03
Oxygen cylinders–800
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Kuwait
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Expected arrivalat Mundra/Mumbaion May 10/11, 2021
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INS Tabar
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27-MT oxygen containers - 02
Oxygen cylinders–600
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Kuwait
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Expected arrivalat Mundra/Mumbai on May 10/11, 2021
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INS Trikand
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27-MT oxygen containers– 02
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Doha, Qatar
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Expected arrivalat Mumbai on May 10, 2021
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INS Airavat
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20 T empty cryogenic oxygen cylinders – 08
Empty oxygen cylinders - 3,150
Filled oxygen cylinders – 500
Oxygen concentrators - 07
Rapid Antigen Test kits - 10,000
PPE kits – 450
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Singapore
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Expected arrivalat Visakhapatnam on May 10, 2021
Loading of oxygen containers and other medical supplies has also been planned on INS Tarkash, INS Shardul and INS Jalashwafrom Doha, Kuwait and Muara, Brunei respectively in the coming days.
ABB/Nampi/KA/DK/Savvy/ADA
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Ministry of Women and Child Development
REVAMPING OF ANGANWADIS CENTRES
Various steps have been taken to revamp/ redevelop/improve the infrastructure of Anganwadis in the country from time to time as stated below:
Under SakshamAnganwadi, across the country 2 lakh AnganwadiCentres   would be strengthened and upgraded for improved nutrition delivery and for early childhood care and education for development of children under 6 years of age. This year 40,000 AWCs have been identified in aspirational districts for upgradation as SakshamAnganwadis with better infrastructure including internet/wifi connectivity, LED screens, and smart learning and audio-visual aids and child-friendly learning equipment. Funds have been released to the States for upgradation of AWCs in the current year i.e FY 2022-23 for which utilization is not due for the current Financial Year.
The cost of construction of toilet per AWC has been revised to Rs.36000/- from Rs.12000/- and the cost for providing drinking water facilities has been revised to Rs.17000/- from Rs.10000/-.
States/UTs have been advised to take up the matter of installation of rainwater harvesting in Government owned Anganwadi buildings.
50,000 AWCs  to be constructed under convergence with MGNREGS for a five year period ending FY 2025-26.
Grants are sanctioned for purchase of furniture, equipment, etc.
Anganwadi Workers  have been provided with Smart Phones for efficient service delivery and AnganwadicEntres have been equipped with growth monitoring devices.
This information was given by the THE MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, SMT. SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Railways
50 Vande Bharat trains introduced on IR network
9910 km track length commissioned under vision 2024
Under Vision 2024, as on 01.04.2023, total 251 Railway infrastructure projects , covering total length of 29,147 km, costing 4.92 lakh crore in the entire country including those falling fully/partly in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra are in planning/sanction/construction stages, out of which 9,910 km track length has been commissioned and an expenditure of 2.45 lakh crore has been incurred upto March 2023.
Presently, Ministry of Railways has taken up construction of two Dedicated Freight Corridors  viz. Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor  from Ludhiana to Sonnagar  and Western Dedicated Freight Corridor  from Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal  to Dadri . So far, 2196 km  out of total sanctioned length of 2843 km of DFC, has been completed.
Speeding up of trains is a constant endeavour and a continuous process on Indian Railways . IR has also undertaken rationalization of time table in a scientific manner with the assistance of IIT-Bombay, inter-alia to speed up trains services by converting passenger trains to Express services and Express services to Superfast services. Further, Indian Railways has introduced Vande Bharat trains, which have higher speed potential. Till 21st July, 2023, 50 Vande Bharat trains have been introduced on the IR network.
Presently, a High Speed Rail project namely Mumbai - Ahmedabad High Speed Rail  Project is undertaken with technical collaboration and financial assistance from the Government of Japan.
The National Rail Plan mentions the following routes for future possible development for high speed rail network:
 Delhi - Varanasi
 Delhi - Ahmedabad
 Mumbai - Nagpur
 Mumbai - Hyderabad
 Chennai - Mysore
 Delhi - Amritsar
 Varanasi - Howrah
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Communications and Electronic & Information Technology, Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
“Promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games” under Khelo India Scheme is specifically dedicated to encourage and showcase traditional sports of the country: Shri Anurag Thakur
‘Sports’ being a state subject, the responsibility to promote and develop sports in the country, including tribal areas to enable tribal children to showcase their talent in traditional sports, rests primarily with the respective State/Union Territory Governments. The Union Government supplements their efforts by bridging critical gaps. However, the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports implements the following schemes for development of sports in the country, including the tribal areas across the country:
- Khelo India- National Programme for Development of Sports
- Assistance to National Sports Federations
- Special Awards to Winners in International Sports Events and their Coaches
- National Sports Awards
- Pension to Meritorious Sportspersons
- Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay National Sports Welfare Fund
- National Sports Development Fund
- Running Sports Training Centres through Sports Authority of India.
Details of the above schemes are available in the public domain on the websites of this Ministry and the Sports Authority of India.
Further, one of the verticals of the Khelo India Scheme, namely, “Promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games”, is specifically dedicated to encouraging and showcasing of traditional sports of the country.
Also, Department of Youth Affairs through Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan  conduct programmes for Promotion of Sports to develop sports culture among rural youth in 623 Districts across the country, including tribal areas. It has two components, namely,
 Providing Sports kits to Youth Clubs- Under this programme, sports kits are provided to selected NYK Youth Clubs so that they may undertake sports activities on regular basis.
 Organization of Block and District Level Sports Meets- NYKS organizes Sports Tournaments at Block & District Level among Youth Clubs.
NYKS is implementing Tribal Youth Exchange Programme in collaboration with Left Wing Extremism  Division of Ministry of Home Affairs. The programme aims to sensitize LWE area tribal youth to the rich cultural heritage of the country, enable them to appreciate the concept of unity in diversity, expose them to development activities and technological/ industrial advancement in other parts of the country, develop their personality by enhancing their understanding of the needs and providing them necessary career counselling. During Tribal Youth Exchange Programme, traditional games and sports is also showcased.
This information was given by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Shri Anurag Thakur in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports
National Anti-Doping Agency and National Council of Educational Research & Training signs MOU to strengthen the value based sport education amongst school children and teachers
National Anti-Doping Agency , an autonomous body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and National Council of Educational Research and Training , Ministry of Education signed a Memorandum of Understanding  to strengthen the value based sport education amongst school children and teachers today.
The MoU was signed at the Conference Hall, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Shastri Bhawan in the presence of Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, Sh. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Smt. Lamchonghoi Sweety Changsan, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education, Government of India, Ms. Ritu Sain, DG & CEO, National Anti-Doping Agency, Sh. Vimal Anand, Director, Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, Prof. Dinesh Prasad Saklani, Director, NCERT, Ministry of Education, Government of India and Prof. Amarendra Behera, Joint Director, CIET- NCERT, Ministry of Education, Government of India.
Smt. Sujata Chaturvedi, Secretary  delivered the keynote address and said “Promoting positive sports values from an early age is key to ensure that young athletes practice clean sport at a later age. This MoU will amplify NADA’s outreach efforts multifold in collaboration with NCERT, Ministry of Education and help create awareness at the grassroots.”
Sh. Sanjay Kumar, Secretary  said “Education shapes the character of students and sports instills positive values. This collaboration will go a long way in raising good citizens for the future.”
As a signatory to the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport, India holds the responsibility to augment clean sport efforts and promote value-based sports education in the country.
This collaboration will leverage the digital infrastructure and outreach capacity of Department of School Education & Literacy through PM e-Vidya for school students, parents, young & budding athletes and physical education teachers.
The key activities that will be undertaken through this MoU include developing e-content in accessible format on sports values and ethics like integrity, diversity, equality, fair play, respect & teamwork and promoting the UNESCO Value Based Sports Education toolkit in every classroom.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry
EXPORT AND IMPORT OF MOBILE PHONES
Exports of mobile phones have increased from USD 0.2 billion in 2017-18 to USD 1.7 billion in 2021. Imports of mobile phones have decreased from USD 3.5 billion in 2017-18 to USD 0.5 billion in 2021.
Steps taken by the Government which are expected to increase the domestic manufacturing and export of electronics goods including mobile phones include formulation of Production Linked Incentive Scheme  for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing, Production Linked Incentive Scheme  for IT hardware, Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors , Modified Electronics Manufacturing Clusters  under the National Policy on Electronics, 2019, which envisages to position India as a global hub for Electronics, System Design and Manufacturing . Moreover, FDI upto 100% under the automatic route is permitted for electronics manufacturing subject to applicable laws. Phased Manufacturing Programme  has been notified to promote domestic value addition in mobile phones and their sub-assemblies / parts manufacturing.Tariff Structure has also been rationalized to promote domestic manufacturing of electronic goods, includingCellular mobile phones.
This information was given by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Indian Potash Limited donates 5 crore rupees to PM-CARES fund taking Fertiliser PSUs contribution to Rs 32 crore
Shri Gowda louds Employees of NFL and FACT for donating one-day salary
Indian Potash Limited, a PSU under the Department of Fertilizers, Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers , has donated 5 crore rupees to Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and relief in Emergency Situations  fund to support Government in its efforts to fight COVID-19 pandemic . This takes contribution of Fertiliser CPSUs to Rs 32 crore.
Appreciating the contribution made by Indian Potash Limited , Chemicals and fertilizers Minister Shri DV Sadananda Gowda said in a tweet that this will strengthen and support the relief works being carried out by Government of India in the wake of COVOID-19 outbreak.
In two separate tweets Minister also complemented the employees of National Fertiliser Ltd and of Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd, the other CPSUs for donating their one day's salary amounting to Rs 88 lakh and Rs 50 lakh respectively.
Many other PSUs of fertilizers department like, IFFCO , KRIBHCO and NFL-KISAN have also contributed more than 27 crore rupees to PM CARES fund.
Shri Gowda had urged all the profit making PSUs under his ministry to donate part of their CSR fund to  In a letter sent to CMDs of all the PSUs, Shri Gowda had said, Government of India is taking all possible steps to prevent spreading of the outbreak , however a public health situation of this scale requires concerted efforts from all sections of the society ,therefore I request you all to contribute maximum possible amount of your CSR budget to PM CARES.
He said, Government of India has set up the PM CARES fund with the primary objective of dealing with any kind of emergency or distress situation such as that posed by COVID-19 pandemic and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, has already clarified that any contribution made to the said fund shall qualify as CSR expenditure under the Companies Act 2013.
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Ministry of Labour & Employment
Educational Assistance Scholarships for Children of Mine Workers
Goa| October 09, 2023
Union Ministry of Labour and Employment has increased the educational assistance scholarship for the children of mine labourers from the states of Maharashtra and Goa, as well as Union Territories of Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Diu-Daman for the academic year 2023-24.
The process of online registration for increased scholarship has started on the national scholarship portal https://scholarships.gov.in.
The annual scholarship for 1st to 4th Standard is Rs 1,000; Rs. 1500 for 5th to 8th Standard students; Rs 2,000 for 9th and 10th Standard; Rs. 3,000 for 11th and 12th Standard; Rs. 6,000 for ITI, Polytechnic, BSc Agriculture and pursuing other degrees courses; Rs 25,000 scholarship is for B.E., M.B.B.S. and MBA students.
The last date for online Applications for Pre-Matric scholarship is 30th November 2023 and Post Matric applications can be submitted till 31st December 2023.
For queries and detailed information regarding online application, the department has requested to contact Ministry of Labour and Employment, Nagpur headquarters on telephone number 0712-2510200 or e-mail wcngp-labour[at]nic[dot]in.
GSK/SRT/PM
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Ministry of Culture
Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artistes
The Government is implementing a Scheme namely “Scheme for Pension and Medical Aid to Artistes”. The objective of the Scheme is to improve financial and socio-economic status of the old aged artistes and scholars who have contributed significantly in their specialized fields of arts, letters etc. but leading a miserable life or are in penury condition. The Scheme has also provision to provide medical aid facility to such Artistes and his/her spouse by covering them under a convenient and affordable Health Insurance Scheme of the Government.
The above information was given by Minister of State  for Culture and Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, in reply to an Unstarred Question in the Lok Sabha today.
NB/PS
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Ministry of Home Affairs
Press Brief on India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management
A two days India-UK workshop on Science for Disaster and Emergency Risk Management was inaugurated today in Delhi by Dr. P. K. Mishra, Additional PS to the PM. The key objective of the workshop is to share the Indian and UK advise mechanisms and practices for using science and technology in the management of emergencies and disasters. In his inaugural address Dr. Mishra stressed that in an increasingly interconnected world, the disaster and emergency risks are becoming more complex and intractable. Therefore, it is of vital importance that India and UK work together to optimize the application of scientific and technological capabilities in order to understand, reduce and manage disaster and emergency risks which have grave implications on life and economy of nations.
Prof. K. VijayRaghavan, Principal Scientific Adviser to GoI informed that the interactions will focus on presenting both countries respective scientific and technological apparatus for mitigating disasters proactively with the aim to facilitate adoption of best practices by identifying new opportunities and building upon the existing Indo-UK collaborations on science and technology. The selected risk areas of interest to both countries including case studies covering Science for Disaster management, Risk assessment for resilience, Science for epidemic preparedness, Science for extreme weather events, Geophysical hazards including earthquakes and landslides and Civil nuclear safety including modelling of radiological release will be covered in the two-day dialogue.
The event is organised by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser, GoI along with the National Disaster Management Authority in partnership with the UK Governments Office of Science. Prof. Robin Grimes former Chief Science Adviser of the Foreign & Commonwealth office who is leading the 6 member UK delegation remarked that this workshop can help to provide a robust mechanism for evidence-based science advise to the respective governments based on sharing complementary scientific and technological strengths and strategies. Kamal Kishore, Member NDMA informed that yesterday the Indian Cabinet has approved the launch of a Rs 480 crores global Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure which will provide an excellent platform to collaborate with UK and other countries.
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VRRK/VJ/BM
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Ministry of Textiles
Union Textiles Minister Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurates 8th India International Silk Fair on Virtual Portal from 31st January to 4th February
Union Minister for Women & Child Development and Textiles, Smt Smriti Zubin Irani inaugurated the 8th edition of India International Silk Fair virtually, today.The fair is considered to be India’s biggest silk fair, being held under one roof on Indian Silk Export Promotion Council’s virtual platform from 31stJanuary to 4thFebruary 2021. The event is being held virtually due to COVID-19 pandemic. Inaugurating the Fair, Smt. Irani stated that more than 200 overseas buyers have already registered and equal number of their representatives in India shall be interacting on virtual platform with more than 100 renowned and big Indian companies manufacturing and trading silk and silk blended products. The Minister called upon the exhibitors and overseas buyers to take part in this initiative to celebrate the beauty and vibrancy of Indian silk.
India International Silk Fair is the Sourcing Fair for silk and silk blend products organised by the Indian Silk Export Promotion Council under the aegis of Ministry of Textiles and sponsored by Department of Commerce. India has long history of silk production and is the 2nd largest producer of Silk. India is the only country in the world which produces all the four major varieties of silk i.e. Mulberry, Eri, Tassar, and Muga and has large varieties of products to offer i.e. Garments, fabrics and sarees, made-ups,carpets, hi-fashion silk apparels, gift items, scarves, stoles, home furnishing, curtains etc. India has around 11 Geographical Indications  such as Pochampally Ikat,Chanderpaul Silk, Mysore Silk, Kanchipuram Silk, Muga Silk, Salem Silk, Arni Silk,Champa Silk, Bhagalpur Silk, Banaras Brocade and Sarees etc.
The challenges posed before the exporters during COVID-19 pandemic have led the Govt. and trade to look for an alternate business module and organising Silk Fair by the Council on Virtual mode is maiden initiative and is expected to revive business contacts with overseas trading partners.